


On Pain of Death, No Witcher Be So Bold

by SuikoKitten



Series: Is This Love? [2]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: But Eskel more, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Papa Eskel, Sucks to be Eskel and Jaskier, Torture, Violence, Whump, kid! Jaskier, no beta we burn like Cintra
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:27:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24037360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuikoKitten/pseuds/SuikoKitten
Summary: A few months after the snows melted, Eskel and Jaskier had settled into a comfortable routine on the Path.  It was almost domestic, even with the contracts to kill monsters in the background.  In a small village not far from Resynlann, Eskel took and completed a contract to kill a striga.  However, Eskel forgot that long ago, he had made an enemy not too far from here and, man, word really spreads when there's a witcher that travels with anyone at all other than a horse, huh?tl;dr: Eskel made an enemy and Jaskier turned out to be the perfect bait for a witcher trap.
Relationships: Eskel & Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: Is This Love? [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1723891
Comments: 25
Kudos: 140





	1. Chapter 1

Eskel trudged up the stairs of the inn with a heavy sigh. A striga was a fearsome beast and it had taken quite a bit out of him to kill it. The alderman paid well for his work, though, and Eskel was satisfied with his work. He unlocked the door to the room he was sharing with Jaskier and walked in. 

“Eskel!” Jaskier ran across the room to him, about to give him a big hug when he suddenly stopped short. “Ewww, you’re covered in monster guts!” 

“What? No hug?” Eskel mock pouted. 

“No! You’re gross! Take a bath first!” 

Eskel laughed. “Your wish is my command, kid.” 

“I’ll ask them to bring you a tub and hot water!” Jaskier bounded through the door and Eskel litened to him bounding down the stairs. 

Since leaving Kaer Morhen for the winter, Eskel and Jaskier had given Lettenhove a wide berth and their efforts seemed to be paying off. Months had passed without incident. They hadn’t had a lick of trouble from any humans looking to cash in on the reward money for Jaskier and they hadn’t even encountered any bandits of late. Eskel had felt himself finally relaxing. 

Jaskier bounced back into the room. “They’re bringing it up! Did you get hurt this time?” 

“It’s nothing that hasn’t already mostly healed. Thank you.” Eskel started stripping his filthy armor off piece by piece. “Did you do anything fun while I was out?” 

“I helped the innkeeper with some of the dishes and he paid me for it!” Jaskier was very proud. 

“Good job!” Eskel answered. “You didn’t talk to any strangers, did you?” 

“Just the cook in the kitchen. He has big scars on his arms. He said it was from a war.” 

Eskel hoped that Jaskier hadn’t annoyed the man too much. The boy was so energetic that Eskel sometimes had trouble keeping up. Jaskier could talk miles a minute for hours, too. 

“Oh yeah!” Jaskier ran over to the table under the window and pointed at the largest of the two apples sitting there. “He gave me these for helping, too! This one’s for you.” 

“Looks delicious,” Eskel said, pulling out a cloth and starting to clean his armor. 

Someone knocked on the door and Eskel went to open it. The inn staff carried in the giant tub and buckets of steaming hot water. Eskel could hardly wait to jump in it, but he waited until they finished heating it to take off his shirt. 

“We are leaving in the morning,” Eskel informed Jaskier. “Is there anything you need from the market?” 

Jaskier thought about it and then sheepishly answered. “I would… I would like some more smelly soap. The kind that smells like flowers. We’re almost out.” 

Eskel smiled. “Yeah? That stuff smells pretty great.” He walked over to the dresser and pulled out a handful of coins, handing them to Jaskier. “Can you pick up some dried fruit and nuts and some jerky? And pick up some of that soap you want.” 

Jaskier nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll be back really soon!” 

They had settled into a routine at some point months ago after Eskel determined that it was probably safe for Jaskier to go shopping alone in the markets of the villages and smallest towns. Jaskier was always more than happy to help and it gave him a chance to practice his social skills and arithmetic. 

“Don’t talk to strangers other than the merchants!” Eskel reminded him firmly. “And stay on the main road leading to the market.” 

“I will!” Jaskier chirped, bounding off, closing and locking the door behind him. 

Eskel finished pulling his clothes off and climbed into the hot tub, releasing a deep sigh of relief. The hot water melted the tension and soreness out of his muscles little by little. He fastidiously washed, being sure to get all of the gunk off his person and out of his hair before he settled down and rested his head against the rim of the tub. 

He must have fallen asleep. When he opened his eyes, the water was cold and the sun was setting on the horizon. He yawned and splashed some water on his face. 

“Jaskier?” He said, wondering why the boy had let him sleep for so long in the tub. 

Silence was the only answer he got. He looked around the room with a frown. Where was…? 

“Jaskier.” He tried not to worry, because there was likely a reasonable explanation for this. “I know Lambert spoiled you and we let you do all sorts of pranks at Kaer Morhen, but this isn’t funny.” 

Still nothing. Eskel’s heart sped up as fear filled his chest. Where was his boy? He stood up quickly and clambered out of the water. He toweled off as quickly as he could and put on the first clean clothes he could get his hands on in his pack. He left the room, not bothering to lock the door behind him, and walked briskly back down the stairs. 

“Master Witcher?” One of the barmaids sounded confused. 

“Have you seen the boy that came with me?” 

“Yes, Master Witcher.” She paused. “He left the village with you about an hour ago.” 

“With me?” Eskel snapped and the girl flinched. “Which way did they go?” 

“Um. Down the forest path that leads to the lake, sir.” 

“An hour ago?” Eskel repeated. “Fuck!” 

“Yes, sir, I’m sorry, sir!” 

Eskel didn’t bother to answer her. He ran up the stairs and grabbed his gear. He didn’t even bother finishing fastening the straps on his armor until he was already running back down the stairs. The woman watched him rushing down and started to speak, but couldn’t find words. 

“I’ll be back!” He informed her and ran out the door into the street. “Thank you!” 

The forest path to the lake was the same path that he had started on to find the striga earlier. He ran directly to it and stopped, using his senses to locate any trace of Jaskier and the imposter. He made out the tread of Jaskier’s boots in the dirt and followed it and the boy’s faint scent. He followed the trail as quickly as he could, but it was still slower going than he wanted. It wasn’t a large road, but it was frequently traveled and the ground was packed down, so sometimes he would go two or three feet without seeing Jaskier’s prints. 

He wanted to shout the boy’s name, but if Jaskier still wasn’t aware that the person he was with was an imposter, then he didn’t want to risk them hurting him by clueing them in to the fact that he was on to them. Eskel came upon a place on the path where it was evident there was some sort of scuffle. He knelt down next to the spot and looked more closely. 

The boot prints were erratic, indicating a struggle. Eskel’s chest tightened. There was a place in the dirt where it appeared someone small- Jaskier- had fallen and then scrambled away on all fours before regaining his footing. Both sets of footprints veered off into the woods and away from the path and the village. On that same patch of ground, Eskel noticed a drop of blood. His child’s blood. Eskel’s lip twisted into a feral snarl. 

Jaskier knew that this man wasn’t Eskel now and he was in serious danger now. The witcher followed the trail of small broken branches and trampled undergrowth at a run. He burst into a small clearing and made eye contact with his imposter. The imposter was leaning against a tree looking bored and there was no sign of Jaskier anywhere. 

“We were wondering if it was going to come at all,” the doppler complained in Eskel’s deep voice. “Its body has many flaws. Its form displeases us.” He pointed at the scar on their faces. 

“Then drop the act,” Eskel demanded furiously. “What have you done to Jaskier?” 

“We don’t feel like it. And we have done nothing to the little one. We have only done as we were asked. The man wanted the boy. We gave him the boy.” 

“What man?” Eskel asked, drawing his silver sword. 

“So violent. We do not have its pet.” The doppler held up its hands in a placating gesture that looked foreign in Eskel’s form. 

“What. Man!” Eskel bellowed, opting to leave that disgusting pet comment unanswered for now. 

“We know not. We care not. We only care that we get to have a new face. A better face with more opportunity, safety.” 

“What did he look like, then?” Eskel demanded, taking a menacing step forward. 

“It was a burly man with much money. It hates the witcher and wants the witcher to pay, it said. We know not what or why, only that it wants to hurt the witcher.” The doppler was getting nervous and stopped leaning on the tree. 

“Where did he take Jaskier? Give me clearer answers or I swear to you this will be your last day alive!” Eskel advanced on the doppler before it could react, slammed its back into a tree, and pressed his sword against its throat. 

“It has a mansion in the forest. That direction.” The doppler answered in a bit of a panic. 

“Thank you.” Eskel beheaded it and ran in the direction the doppler indicated. 

Normally, Eskel wouldn’t go straight for killing a doppler. They generally tried to keep to themselves and live their best lives. Normally, that did not involve hurting anyone, but that one… That one hit Jaskier hard enough to knock him to the ground and bleed. That thing didn’t deserve to breathe. Eskel felt no guilt.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eskel figures out who took his child and goes to get him back.

Eskel knew he should be thinking; instead, he was running through the forest at breakneck speed. He should have stopped in that clearing to reflect on which human he could have wronged so severely that they would stoop to harming a child. A human child. He couldn’t stop. He couldn’t think. He could only feel and oh, those feelings! All of those feelings were so strong that he felt as if he were made up of nothing else! 

Witchers don’t have feelings, they say. Bullshit. 

Eskel lost his footing when he launched himself on top of a felled tree trunk. He promptly crashed to the ground on the other side. He growled, sat up, and breathed heavily. He had to be more careful. He had to take control or else he would never see Jaskier again. That man would kill Eskel before he got close enough if he couldn’t take control. And that was assuming the man wouldn’t kill Jaskier first, which was a terrifying possibility. 

Overcome with anger and hate, Eskel pounded his fists on the ground once with all his might and roared. His head felt a bit clearer, but the quagmire of his emotions was roiling and bubbling just beneath his thin layer of rational thought. 

“I should have left him at Kaer Morhen. It isn’t safe for him out here, not with me.” Eskel muttered, irritated by the hot sting of tears that filled his eyes. “Damn it! He’s probably terrified, scared out of his mind right now. Think, think, think! Why did this happen?” 

They were near Rysenlaan in Aedirn. He very rarely took any contracts in this area. He had to think hard for a few moments (damn emotions!) to remember why. He cursed under his breath and pushed himself up to his feet. 

It was almost forty years ago. Eskel had slain a werewolf for a larger village to the north of here and had been paid. That kill still left a foul taste in his mouth. He sometimes still wished he had been able to lift the curse, but he had tried. It was little consolation to the family of the man in question, but there had been nothing else he could have done. 

As he was about to leave the village, a servant had run up to him and handed him an invitation from the nobleman that lived nearby. Eskel remembered reluctantly agreeing to come to the mansion that evening. He had painstakingly cleaned his armor and himself to make sure he was looking his best. Nobles were finicky and he hadn’t wanted to offend, though he would have much rather spent his evening elsewhere. He really hadn’t wanted to be there, had had a bad feeling about it, in fact, but still he had gone… Stupid. 

Eskel growled, stomping in the direction of the mansion. Hurting a child because a witcher wouldn’t murder a man for you was such a disgusting reason! On so many levels! Well, if Dalibor Jedynak wanted Eskel to kill a man, he sure would do so now. If there was a hair out of place on Jaskier’s head, then Eskel intended to make it a slow death. 

Eskel stepped out of the woods and into a valley with rolling hills. At the top of one was the mansion. It was almost a castle, frankly, but he didn’t bother thinking about that more than necessary. He had very important business with the master of the house. Couldn’t keep him waiting with such trivial impressions. 

Eskel readily slew the first three guards that he saw. He didn’t let himself think about the families they had left behind. That was the path to madness and Eskel couldn’t afford to walk it. Perhaps once Jaskier was fully grown and walking his own path, Eskel could let himself descend into that guilt-born madness. 

He maimed the two men standing guard at one of the side doors of the mansion and pushed the door open. First, Jaskier. Then, justice. Or murder, whichever Eskel felt like calling it when the time came. 

Eskel paused and sniffed the air slowly, trying to catch a whiff of the fancy soaps that Jaskier liked to use. He found it intermingled with the smell of fear and tears. He tightened his grip on his sword to ground himself against the fury boiling him alive and walked. 

He followed the smell down stone stairs into a dark cellar. At least, he assumed the purpose of this place was to be a cellar, although it didn’t seem out of character for this bastard to have a dungeon for a basement instead. 

As he crept down the hallway, he heard Jaskier crying. There wasn’t blood in the air, so Eskel felt a rush of relief rush over his person. Jaskier was frightened and crying, but he wasn’t hurt, aside from when the doppler had struck him. Eskel quickened his pace. 

He passed several doors before he found the right one. He reached for the doorknob and twisted it. (A quiet gasp from inside and the crying stopped) Locked. Of course it was locked. Eskel promptly kicked the door down. 

The room was larger than Eskel had anticipated. There was a fireplace on the opposite wall and next to it was Jaskier with a split lip. The boy stood up and started to run toward him, but a burly, bald-headed man grabbed his wrist and jerked him back. 

“Welcome, Master Witcher. It has been many years since we last met.” 

“Shut up and let go of the boy and I’ll let you keep your head.” Eskel growled. 

“How rude. Drop the swords or leave and I’ll give the child what I intended for you.” 

“Lord Jedynak,” Eskel spat. “You’ve sunk to a new low. Kidnapping a child is one thing, but threatening to torture a child? I didn’t think you had that kind of evil in you or I would have killed you forty years ago.” 

“You slighted me, witcher,” Jedynak shrugged. “If you had just slain that lowly farmhand when I asked you to, we wouldn’t be here right now.” 

“I’m a witcher, not an assassin for hire. If you wanted a witcher to be an assassin for you, then you should have found someone from the viper school. I told you as much then.” 

Jaskier was carefully trying to pull his wrist out of the big man’s hand, to which Jednyak gave him a rough shake. Jaskier glared at him and Eskel felt a twinge of fear in his gut. The boy needed not to draw attention from this man for now or he might… 

“Jaskier has nothing to do with this. If you have a score to settle, settle it with me.” 

The man laughed. “That’s what we’re doing, you fool.” He gestured to Eskel’s right. 

The witcher had been so focused on Jaskier that he hadn’t even thought about looking around the rest of the room. This room in the cellar had been turned into a dungeon and a torture room in one. There were all sorts of nasty implements in there. 

“Drop your swords!” The man bellowed. 

The man jerked Jaskier off his feet, making the child squeak in fright and pain as the man jerked him against his chest and wrapped a large arm around his waist. Jaskier squirmed. The man squeezed Jaskier’s abdomen and Jaskier stopped fighting him. 

“Eskel!” Jaskier shrieked. 

Eskel took a step forward but paused when the man pressed a familiar looking dagger against Jaskier’s throat. Really? The man was going to threaten Jaskier’s life with the child’s own dagger? Eskel growled at the man, but didn’t step any closer. 

“Why, Jaskier, I’m starting to think your witcher doesn’t care if I cut your throat.” Jaskier’s pupils dilated as terror’s cold grip threatened to turn into panic. “Drop them and kick them over there. Last chance.” He pressed the knife into Jaskier’s neck, almost enough to draw blood. 

Before the man could draw blood, Eskel dropped his sword and kicked it aside, pulling his silver sword out of its sheath and kicking it away, too. Jedynak nodded approvingly. Eskel heard two men entering the room behind him. Eskel found the situation was becoming unrectifiable. He couldn’t risk Jaskier’s life, but even if he managed to kill Jedynak without Jaskier getting hurt, he would still have to fight through those men. 

“Get down on your knees in the cell.” 

“No!” Jaskier protested as Eskel walked to the cell with the men close behind him. “No, don’t, Eskel!” 

“It’s going to be alright, Jaskier,” He soothed, lowering himself down to the cold stone floor. 

There were manacles bolted to the floor in front of him. Eskel knew the man was going to order him to put his wrists in there next. Once that happened, there would be no way out. Eskel had to think of something, had to do something to get Jaskier safe. He tried to think… 

“Wrists.” 

Eskel swore and did as he was told, watching with irritation as the guards closed the cold metal around his wrists. He huffed when it was finished and looked up at the nobleman. Jaskier was crying again, more softly this time as the man put him down. 

“Sit.” He ordered the child, who quickly did as he was told and stared down at the ground. 

“Let him go. You’ve got what you want now.” 

“No.” 

Eskel clenched his fists. “Bastard! Are you going to make him watch?!” 

Silence, except for the soft whimpering Jaskier was trying to hold in. Eskel watched as the nobleman looked down at Jaskier, praying that he wouldn’t force Jaskier to watch them torture him. Eskel wasn’t worried that much about the torture. He could take a lot of pain and would ultimately be fine, but Jaskier… It would traumatize him, change him. Eskel didn’t want to be the cause of that much pain for Jaskier. 

“Take him upstairs to the guest room. Keep an eye on him and don’t let him escape.” 

Eskel sighed in relief and then Jaskier started screaming. “No! No, no! No! Don’t! I want to stay!” 

“I assure you, boy, that you do not.” The nobleman said as one of the men scooped Jaskier up. 

“Wait, wait!” Jaskier struggled. “Please! I want… Can I please hug him first?” 

The man holding him froze. A crisis of conscience? Eskel made a note of that. The man looked to the nobleman who made a face and waved for him to let the boy do it. The man put Jaskier down gently and he ran over to Eskel. He grabbed the witcher tightly and squeezed, burying his face in Eskel’s neck. 

“I’m scared.” Jaskier whispered. 

“It’s okay.” Eskel whispered back. “You’re going to be fine.” 

“But you aren’t! And it’s my fault! I thought it was you, I really did! I’m sorry!” 

“This is not your fault,” Eskel said in a normal tone, glaring at the men watching their exchange. “Just do as you’re told and you’ll be fine. Don’t give anyone a reason to hurt you, okay?” 

Jaskier shook his head. “No.” 

“Jaskier.” One of the men was walking toward them. “Jaskier, it’s time for you to go. It’s going to be okay, I promise.” 

“No!” Jaskier screamed and didn’t stop screaming when the man picked him up. “Don’t hurt him! Don’t hurt Eskel!” 

“Let go, Jaskier,” Eskel urged him anxiously when Jaskier pressed his fingers beneath his armor and clung to it. “Jaskier!” 

The boy’s grip slipped and he kicked and screamed as the man tried to hold onto Jaskier. They reached the door, but the nobleman ordered them to stop. He bent over to get on eye level with the child and grabbed his chin to force him to look at him. 

“Do you want the witcher to die, boy?” Jaskier shook his head wildly. “Then stop fighting and stop screaming. Be a good boy or I will kill him.” 

“You’re going to kill him anyway.” Jaskier was too smart for his own good sometimes, Eskel thought. 

“I have many things planned for him… Jaskier, was it? Well, Jaskier, death was not on the list yet. But if you make me, I will add it. Will you be a good boy for Eskel?” 

Jaskier’s gaze flicked back to Eskel, who tried not to look as distressed as he actually felt, which was a whole hell of a lot. Jaskier looked back at the nobleman and nodded mutely, tears streaming down his cheeks. The nobleman patted him on the head and the man put him down, taking Jaskier’s wrist in his hand. 

“That’s a good boy.” 

Eskel and the man were left alone with only the crackling of the fire to break the silence. Eskel let his gaze slide around the room a little more closely, taking in the different weapons and tools Jedynak had chosen to torture him with. There were whips, chains, swords, knives, fire pokers, rope and a myriad of other things. It was going to suck. 

Eskel felt his lips twist into a grin despite himself. “I bet that farmhand and the girl you wanted for yourself have about a dozen children and some grandchildren by now. That’s what this is really about, isn’t it? Another man making love to the girl of your dreams and having her bear his children instead of yours-” 

The kick to his face was absolutely worth it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eskel regrets his life choices and Jaskier gets to play action hero.

Eskel comforted himself with imagining all the different ways he could kill the nobleman between each crack of the whip slicing into his back. He was glad that Jaskier was not there to see him being brought so low. He hadn’t been able to keep from screaming occasionally. The damn whip hurt! 

He braced himself for another crack from the whip, but it never came. He opened his eyes and looked up at the nobleman, who was admiring his handiwork. Eskel did his best to look bored. 

“I’ve heard that witchers heal faster than humans. I wonder how long it will take your back to heal from these lashes.” 

“I guess you’ll figure it out.” Eskel mused. 

“I guess I will.” The man put the whip back on the table and let his hands slide over the different implements of torture idly. 

Eskel’s entire body ached. Before the whip, Jedynak and his goon happily kicked him pretty much everywhere. No bones broke or anything, but there were bruises. Add to that the whip and his body felt like it was on fire. He could feel his injuries beginning to heal, but it would take a bit before he felt like something more than a tattered practice dummy. 

Jedynak walked out of the room after shutting the cell door and locking it. That seemed a bit excessive, because he wasn’t going anywhere until the manacles were removed. He couldn’t fault the man for being careful. A witcher was dangerous and an angry one even more so. Eskel watched him leave suspiciously, but didn’t say anything. He could use a break and he would take what he could get. His back was a bloodied mess. His knees ached and his ribs throbbed. 

He could take this for Jaskier, to keep him safe from harm. All he had to do was bide his time. Eventually, he would get some sort of opportunity to wrestle control away from Jedynak. He wasn’t sure what shape or form said opportunity would take, but he knew he would get one. 

Speaking of Jaskier, Eskel wondered how the child was doing. He knew Jaskier would be upset and terrified, but was he okay other than that? They have no reason to hurt him now that Eskel couldn’t fight back. Was he doing as he was told or was he fighting their captors and getting punished for it? 

No, Eskel heard what Jedynak said to Jaskier before they took the boy away. Jaskier wouldn’t misbehave, not if he believed they would kill Eskel over it. So, Jaskier had to be alright. Physically, anyway. He had to be. 

Eskel rested his forehead on the ground and breathed deeply. He really should have come in here with a plan instead of rushing in like a raged bull, but it was always easy to see where things could have gone better in hindsight. 

Some time later, Jedynak returned. Eskel wasn’t sure how long it was, but it was long enough for the lashes to heal a bit. Jedynak examined the wounds curiously. 

“Impressive.” He mused. 

Eskel shrugged. “Mutations.” 

“I suppose you are wondering about the child?” Eskel nodded at him, not trusting himself to speak calmly. “He is fine, but he refuses to eat. We won’t force him. If he wants to hurt himself by refusing food, then that’s his choice, not mine.” 

“Can’t blame him for that. He’s scared.” 

Jedynak sounded impressed as he continued. “He’s a hardy child. Stubborn. He’ll grow up strong.” 

Eskel wasn’t sure why, but something about how Jedynak was speaking made the hairs on the back of his neck stick up. He almost talked as if… Would he? 

“Since we both know you’re going to kill me, humor me this: what are you going to do with him when I’m dead?” 

“Thanks to you, I have no heirs,” Jedynak stated. “I may keep him for myself.” Eskel growled at him. “Oh, you have a problem with that, do you? Maybe you should have thought about the consequences of your actions before you refused me. We wouldn’t be here right now if you had just done as I asked. I would have rewarded you handsomely, too. You could have been rich. Perhaps you could have even joined my guard. The possibilities were endless, witcher.” 

“All of that would have cost me my principles and an innocent man his life. No amount of coin or prestige is worth that.” And there were thousands of sellswords in the world who would have been willing to kill a man for the right price. 

“So self-righteous. How odd for a witcher to talk down to a human when the witcher is a monster by default.” 

“I don’t murder and torture people for fun, so maybe you’re the monster here.” 

Jedynak unlocked the cell door and opened it before going back to the table of torture tools and selecting a fire poker. He pressed the tip of the poker into the fire and held it there until it was red hot. Eskel schooled his expression into impassivity, but he knew that his facade would fade as soon as that red hot poker rested somewhere on his skin. 

“Ready?” 

“Not really.” 

Jedynak pressed the hot poker against Eskel’s bicep. It burned and Eskel heard the way the hot metal made his skin sizzle. He growled to hide the moan that tried to escape his throat, clenching his teeth together. The poker pulled away and Jedynak pressed it against Eskel’s shoulder. It burned like hell, but it wasn’t as bad as Eskel was expecting until Jedynak lifted the poker and slammed it into his back. 

“Fuck!” Eskel hissed. 

Jedynak tossed the poker aside and picked up a bucket filled with… something. Water and salt. The salt burned the open wounds that constituted his back at the moment. What a bastard. 

Jaskier peered out the window. It was a pretty long way down to the ground from this floor. The window itself was small, too small for an adult to climb through, but Jaskier was certain he was small enough to crawl out. But if he fell, he would die, probably. 

The guard in the room had fallen asleep earlier and Jaskier was able to filch a set of keys from him. He hoped they would unlock the cell and manacles downstairs. Jaskier looked at them. If they were the right keys, he could save Eskel and himself! If they were wrong… 

Jaskier wasn’t stupid. He knew the sort of man that that man was. Eskel would not survive if someone didn’t do something. And Jaskier was the only person who would help him that knew where he was or even that he needed help. 

Jaskier pushed the window open and squeezed out onto the little ledge. He clung to the wall for dear life and slowly began inching away from the room he had been kept in. His heart felt like it was going to rip its way right out of his chest when he accidentally looked down. 

There was a tree that had grown next to the mansion and Jaskier thought it would hold his weight if he landed on one of the branches. There was no other way to climb down unless he wanted to run around inside the house, which sounded like a really bad idea. They would catch him and hurt Eskel more than they already were! They might hurt him, too. Jaskier didn’t want to be hurt any more than he wanted Eskel to be hurt. 

Jaskier positioned himself as close to the tree as he could manage and leapt. Twigs and smaller branches poked and scratched him as they gave way beneath his weight. He grabbed a thicker branch with both arms to stop his descent with a soft yelp. Then, he siddled over to the tree trunk and wrapped his arms around it, letting himself sit on the branch below. 

Jaskier wiped at his eyes. The scratches hurt and one of them was pretty bad compared to the others. Blood welled up and out of the small gash on his arm, but Jaskier forced himself to keep going. He carefully began to climb down the tree, testing each branch gingerly before putting his whole weight on them. He had just made his way to the soft grass below when he heard an alarm being raised. Either the other guard had come in and found him gone or the other guy had woken up. Regardless, he really didn’t have much time now! He ran along the wall of the manor, hoping no one was going to be looking out the windows for him. 

Jaskier found the side entrance that they had used when the man had brought him to the manor in the first place. He crept through the halls, trying desperately not to make any sound. He couldn’t remember which door it was that they had gone through, so he wound up opening and then closing them all. His chest hurt and he wondered if maybe he had injured himself worse than he had thought. He paused just a moment to check to make sure he wasn’t bleeding to death or something and there was the beginnings of a bruise there, but no blood. 

He ignored the pain and the terror that had gripped his heart. He had to keep going. He was almost there! There were more doors to check. He placed his ear against the door and listened. When he heard nothing, he twisted the knob and pushed the door open. 

“Eskel!” Jaskier whispered, running across the room and fumbling with the keys. 

“Jaskier?” Eskel sounded so surprised to see him! Jaskier felt like a hero! 

“I stole the keys from one of the guards.” He explained as he tried several of the keys, but none of them worked. 

“Jaskier, hurry. He'll be back soon.” Eskel was trying to sound calm, but the fear in his voice was foreign to Jaskier’s ears. 

He looked up and really looked at the witcher for the first time since he entered the room. He gasped in horror. Eskel was drenched in his own blood and his back looked pretty bad. He froze. 

“Jaskier, focus. He will hurt you if he catches you in here. Until I’m out of these things, I can’t protect you.” 

Jaskier tried more keys, but none of them worked until the second to last one on the ring. What were the other keys even for? Were they keys for the whole house? 

Eskel couldn’t hear anything other than Jaskier’s pounding heart outrunning his own for several long moments. He couldn’t focus, not with Jaskier in imminent danger and his senses overwhelmed with pain. He shut his eyes as Jaskier fumbled with the keys and one of the manacles. He tuned out the pounding of their hearts until they were a dull roar as he listened for footsteps. Footsteps which were coming toward the room. 

The door opened and Jedynak took in the scene before him. 

“I almost… It has to be one of these!” Jaskier inserted one of the keys and the lock mechanism released the manacle on Eskel’s right hand. "Yes!" 

Jaskier reached for the other one, but Jedynak’s tree trunk arms wrapped around his waist and jerked him off the ground. Jaskier dropped the key ring, screaming at the man. Eskel grabbed for the key ring, but it was just out of reach! He stretched as far as he could. He almost had it. He was so close! He shifted into a seated position and used his foot to pull the ring closer. 

“You sneaky little brat!” Jedynak growled as Jaskier landed a solid kick on the man’s knee. 

“Lemme go!” Jaskier shouted back as Eskel tried to figure out which key would open it. 

“What did I say about being a good boy?” The nobleman growled; Eskel tried key after key until the manacle opened. 

“You’re a liar and a bully and I hate you!” 

Eskel slammed his fist into the nobleman’s face, satisfied by the crunching noise the man’s nose made. The nobleman dropped Jaskier with a scream and Jaskier scampered out of the way with a sob. Eskel grabbed Jedynak’s shoulder and pulled him forward. The man stumbled to his knees, eyes widening when he saw the fire poker in Eskel’s free hand.

The metal was cold now, but that didn’t matter. Eskel slammed the metal thing into the man’s back with all his strength. Eskel forgot all of his plans to make the man suffer. He quickly ended it by slamming the pointy end of the poker into the nobleman’s skull. 

Jaskier squeaked and covered his eyes. Eskel panted with exertion and went for his armor and swords. They would need them if the guards caught them on the way out. 

Eskel pulled the armor back on, piece by piece, wincing and hissing every time the hard material rubbed against his slowly healing wounds. He grabbed his swords and put them on his back, keeping an eye on the door. 

He wasn’t going to indulge these men in any combat if he could possibly avoid it, though. Jaskier had seen enough blood, gore, and death today already. Eskel rushed over to Jaskier and cradled him against his chest. 

“Hey, it’s okay. You were very brave and very clever, Jaskier. It’s almost over, okay? I’ll get us out of here now. Just wrap your arms around my neck and hold on.” Jaskier did as he was told and pressed his face into Eskel’s neck, not caring that he was getting blood on him. 

Eskel’s back was on fire, but he kept going. He crept out into the hallway and broke into a run when someone ran into the hallway behind them. The guard shouted something, likely ordering them to stop, but Eskel ignored him. 

It was dark outside when Eskel burst out of the mansion and into the cool air. There was no cover here, and therefore no opportunity to rest until they reached the treeline. So, Eskel ran, albeit a bit slower once he realized no one had come running out of the mansion after him. The guard probably didn’t want to be murdered like his friends earlier or like his master just moments ago. Good. 

Eskel didn’t stop running until they were deep in the forest. He panted and lowered himself to his knees. He pressed his face into Jaskier’s hair and squeezed him a little tighter to remind himself that the child was safe and sound. Then, he smelled the blood. Fresh blood and it was Jaskier’s. Panic took hold of his chest as he put Jaskier down on the ground. 

Jaskier whimpered and tried to crawl back into Eskel’s arms, but Eskel had to see how Jaskier was hurt and how bad the wound was. “Wait just a minute, Jaskier. I have to check you. You've been bleeding. It’s okay; I’ll take care of you, just, wait.” 

Eskel could see in the dark better than humans, but without a potion, he couldn’t see enough detail right now. He grabbed some sticks and twigs to make a quick fire with Igni and returned his attention to Jaskier. 

Jaskier was holding his arm against his stomach. Eskel gently pulled the child’s uninjured arm away from his injured one. Then, he gently examined Jaskier’s injury. It was a gash about two inches long and it turned out to not be as severe as he had feared it would be. He let out a sigh of relief. 

“Are you okay, Jaskier?” 

Jaskier tried to crawl back into his arms without a word and Eskel allowed it this time, holding the child close. The small fire burned out and Eskel started their trek back to the small village. Jaskier didn’t say a word the whole way. Eskel wasn’t sure what to say. 

They couldn’t get back to the village fast enough. Eskel was absolutely exhausted. Each step became harder and harder, but he eventually found the forest path they had started on earlier and followed it with its easier terrain back to the village. 

“Master Witcher!” The maid from earlier exclaimed. 

“I need a healer and another bath.” Jaskier needed his arm looked at and Eskel needed to get this blood off himself. 

“Are you- Yes, of course! Right away, Master Witcher!” 

Once back in their room, Eskel placed Jaskier on the bed and smoothed his hair back, scanning the child for any other injuries, wincing when the armor pressed too harshly against his injuries. Jaskier was still shaking like a little leaf and Eskel was loath to leave his side. The door opened behind him and Eskel’s sword was in his hand before he remembered where he was. The healer squeaked in fright and stepped back into the hallway. 

“I-” Eskel stammered. Damn, he was exhausted and on edge. “I’m so sorry. Please, come in.” He put the sword back into its sheath and laid both blades on the dresser. 

Guilt and self-loathing seeped into Eskel’s bones. He looked like a monster thanks to his scars on most days, but tonight he must have looked like evil personified. A hideous face, cat eyes, two big swords, and drenched in blood. A monster. 

The maid ushered the healer in, whispering to her. She walked over to Eskel timidly, but she wasn’t disgusted by him, nor was she frightened. The healer knelt next to Jaskier and reached for his arm. Jaskier flinched away and Eskel started to walk over to him, but the maid caught his arm. Her hands were soft and her eyes were kind and mournful at the same time. 

“It’s okay. You have your boy back and he’s okay. I’m so sorry for this, Master Witcher-” 

“Eskel.” The witcher mumbled. 

“Eskel? Yes, I think I remember him calling you that. Master Eskel, you do not look well yourself. Can you sit down? Tell me what you need? Agatha will look at you next, if you let her.” 

Eskel started to speak, but he couldn’t form words. He slid down into the wooden chair next to the window and gingerly began to unfasten the straps to his armor. Boots approached their open door and Eskel growled in their direction. 

“It’s just the bath!” The girl soothed him and reached for one of the straps on his bracers. “May I?” 

“Why?” 

“You’re hurt.” 

“That’s not what I meant. What do you want?” Eskel frowned at her, exhaustion coloring his perceptions of the world around him. As a matter of fact, he felt rather faint. 

“I don’t understand.” 

“No one does anything for a witcher without wanting something in return.” Eskel growled. 

The maid flinched, but didn’t move away, gently unfastening the bracer and sliding it off. “I don’t want anything from you, sir. I feel responsible for what happened, because I should have realized something was wrong. Please, let me help you. For your child?” 

Kindness was so foreign to Eskel. He only ever got kindness from other witchers, but even then it was not the typical kind most people longed for: a soft voice and gentle hands. With her help, he got all the armor off and barely noticed the healer standing hesitantly before him. Jaskier was standing next to him with a clean bandage on his arm, looking up at him with teary eyes. 

Everything went blurry and then there was noise around him. High-pitched shouts and hands grabbing at his tattered shirt. The world went sideways and Jaskier was screaming again. The cacophony was more than Eskel could take and he was relieved when he slipped into blessed unconsciousness. 

Eskel hadn’t felt this ill for as long as he could remember. When he awoke the following morning, his stomach churned and he felt like vomiting. The feeling faded as he continued to lay still. Jaskier’s small frame was pressed against his side and the child’s hands were clinging to him desperately, even during sleep. 

The maid was asleep in the chair he had apparently vacated the night before and was leaning against the dresser. Apparently she hadn’t left the room since they got back. He ran his hand over his face and shifted. Jaskier made a face without waking and Eskel sighed. 

“I was scared for a bit, kid,” He whispered, knowing the child probably wouldn’t wake up as he spoke. “Thought I wasn’t going to be able to protect you from him. What kind of life would that have been? Raised by the man who killed your father?” 

He looked up when the maid sat up, rubbing at her eyes. She smiled- genuinely smiled- at him when she saw he was awake. Eskel was afraid of her, for some bizarre reason. No one was ever this kind. Were they? 

“Here,” The girl offered him a cup of water. 

“Thank you,” He sipped at it slowly, sitting up. “It doesn’t hurt?” He muttered to himself, more than a bit bewildered. It was amazing what actual medical attention could do combined with witcher healing. Was the healer perhaps a mage of some sort? Had she used magic to heal him more completely? 

“Haven’t you heard?” The girl whispered conspiratorially. “Witchers heal faster than humans do.” 

Eskel laughed. It was a short bark of a laugh, but it made the tension in his shoulders shrink. She took the cup back and placed it on the table. 

“Are you hungry? I can bring some food up for you.” 

Eskel paused. He was, but… “I’ll wait for Jaskier to wake up first.” 

They sat in silence. Eskel wasn’t sure what to say to the girl and he was too drained to try and come up with a conversation topic. He just watched Jaskier, who had Dandelion tucked beneath his arm. 

“My parents never looked at me like you look at him,” The maid stated suddenly, drawing his gaze back up to her. “I know what an abused child looks like, you know. And he’s happy and healthy now, because he has you, but those little things don’t really go away. I wish that I had had someone like you to love me the way you love him.” 

Eskel must have looked panicked and confused, because she continued with a soft laugh. “You asked me last night why I was helping you. That’s why. I know good people when I see them. It’s in the way you walk and talk to people. The way you treat him. People with prettier faces come through all the time who are nasty, terrible people who hurt others just for fun.” 

“There isn’t enough good in the world, so when I see it, I like to make sure it stays that way.” The girl concluded. 

Witcher school prepared Eskel to be spat at and beaten and bitten by monsters and poisoned and everything else, but it never prepared him for the emotional needs of a child or an emotional admission from a stranger. 

“You don’t owe me anything and I know you’re stressed and on edge. But you have to take care of yourself or Jaskier won’t stand a chance. Would you like me to bring you some tea?” 

“S-Sure. Thank you.” 

She nodded and stood up to leave. Now that he looked at her more closely as she left, he could see it, too. The thing she had been talking about. The way she tiptoed around and closed doors so quietly. It was depressing to know that the kindest and purest humans had lived through such terrible things. And yet, they thrived. Jaskier was thriving, or he had been, and the maid looked like she was doing alright for herself. 

“Eskel?” Jaskier whispered, interrupting Eskel’s thoughts. “Are you feeling okay?” 

“Much better,” Eskel assured him, giving the child a kiss on the head. “How is your arm?” 

“It’s okay.” 

The boy was considerably less verbose than he had been before this happened. Eskel fretted, unsure of how to make it better and even if there was even anything he could do to make it better. He smoothed Jaskier’s hair out of his face and hugged him. 

“You can talk about it, Jaskier.” 

“You had it worse than me,” the child countered. “You talk about it.” 

“When you’re older, Jaskier.” Eskel settled for a compromise. “I’m fine now and you’re safe. That’s all that matters. I’m here to keep you safe and make you feel safe. It’s okay if you’re still scared, but I would like to know about it, so I can work to make you feel safe again.” 

“I want to go back to Kaer Morhen.” Jaskier said. “Nobody there will ever hurt us. Either of us.” 

“We can’t hide away from the world, Jaskier. It feels really scary now, but there’s nothing I won’t do to protect you-” 

“I know that!” Jaskier shouted at him, jumping off the bed; the action was so sudden and unexpected, that Eskel actually jumped a little. “I know and I hate it!” 

Eskel heard the maid’s soft footfalls stop outside their door and then quickly scamper off. That was probably for the best. They needed to talk and a stranger was probably not going to help. 

“Jaskier-” Eskel started, but Jaskier shook his head. 

“No! You don’t get to lie to me and tell me it’s okay, because it isn’t! I went with a stranger wearing your face and I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t try to stop until it was too late! And you almost died because of me! They used me to hurt you, Eskel! That isn’t- you don’t deserve- I love you so much!” 

Eskel swallowed past the lump that formed in his throat. “Nothing about this was your fault. You were tricked. Yes, they hurt me, but it wasn’t your fault.” 

“Yes, it was. I’m little and I’m not strong and I can’t do anything. Anyone can hurt me that wants to and you’ll protect me from all of them, but I can’t protect you from anybody.” 

Eskel shook his head. The boy didn’t consider what he did protecting him? The child risked life and limb to get him out of those manacles. He held out a hand for Jaskier, but the child shook his head wildly and backed away. 

“You saved both of our lives last night, Jaskier. You were clever and smart and I don’t know how you managed it, but you got your hands on the keys and snuck around that mansion until you got back to me.” 

“You had to save me, then, too.” Jaskier sniffled, wiping at his eyes with his sleeve. 

And Eskel killed the man literally in front of Jaskier’s face. In the moment, he hadn’t really had time to think about positioning or getting the man farther away from the child to finish it, but he really should have. He had seen the look on Jaskier’s face when the poker pierced the bastard’s skull. He should have been more careful. 

“It’s okay-” Jaskier started to shout again as Eskel spoke, but the witcher held his hands up in a placating gesture. “To not be okay. You will be, though. We both will. But we can’t go back to Kaer Morhen, not right now. Maybe in a few months or, better, when winter comes. I don’t know that I’ll be able to convince you to leave again if we go there now and you are meant to light up the world the same way you’ve brightened mine- and the others’s worlds, too. If you stay in Kaer Morhen, you won’t really get to live the life you were meant to live.” 

“But I’m scared!” Jaskier protested, less angrily than before. 

“Me, too.” Jaskier faltered, looking even more vulnerable than before. “I know that’s scary to hear, but I’m not going to lie to you. I was scared. I’m still scared, but nowhere near as bad as before. We’re safe and that isn’t going to change for a while.” At the very least until they leave the inn. 

Speaking of the inn, he was going to have to pay up for another few nights and for the bath they had presumably given him after he passed out. And for the healer’s work. It was going to put a dent in his coin purse, but if he tightened up, he could make it work. He wasn’t going to search for another contract right now, though. Not until they left the county at least. Maybe not even until they left Aedirn altogether. 

Jaskier sat down on the bed next to Eskel and hugged him. Eskel sighed and closed his eyes, committing the moment to memory. They would both need all their happiest moments ready for the moments when they needed them most. The maid was back outside the door and she knocked gently before slowly opening the door. 

“Breakfast?” Eskel nodded and she slipped inside as quietly as a cat, leaving the tray of food on the table. “I’ll be back with the tea I promised you.” 

“She’s really pretty,” Jaskier commented. “And nice.” 

Eskel laughed. “Don’t get any ideas, Jaskier.” 

“I bet she likes you!” He teased playfully. 

“Jaskier, stop! She will hear you!” 

“Do you like her?” 

“No.” 

“Promise?” 

“Promise. Eat your eggs.” 

“She’d make a good mom! ” 

“Jaskier, please.” 

When the maid returned, Eskel knew she had overheard them. His cheeks turned red from embarrassment. Sheesh! The first genuinely kind girl they meet and Jaskier thinks Eskel wants in her pants- although, he wasn’t sure if Jaskier knew what sex even was. Was he old enough to know that? It didn’t matter. The girl was obviously not interested and neither was he! She wore an amused grin as she placed the tea next to the food. 

“Sorry,” Eskel muttered to her. “About that.” 

The maid laughed it off. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve overheard worse. It was cute. Domestic. Let me know if you need anything else. I’ll be downstairs.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaskier and Eskel prepare to get back on the Path, but they have to build their confidence back up first. Molly and the rest of the village is all too happy to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very short conclusion to a rather short fic. Sorry about the delay; I've been ridiculously sick. I hope you enjoy it!

They did need something else. The maid was happy to help, too, so Eskel hoped that maybe this experiment would help them both keep from clinging to each other and jumping if anything looked at one of them wrong. 

The plan was this: before lunch, Jaskier would go down to the market and pick up the items he had picked up the day before. The maid (“I have a name and it’s Molly,” she had said when he broached the topic with her.) would follow Jaskier and give him a friendly face he apparently liked enough to be his new mother to ground himself in the reality he was safe. (“Eskel, this isn’t what I meant when I said-!” Jaskier had protested. “I don’t want to do this!”) Eskel would stay in their room and listen for Jaskier in case the child freaked out and screamed or shouted anything, which was an option for Jaskier if he got too overwhelmed by their experiment (“I’ll be listening and I’ll come right away if you need me, I promise.”). Then, they would celebrate or comfort themselves with pie at lunch. 

“I really don’t want to do this, Eskel,” Jaskier protested as Eskel buttoned his shirt (at the moment, the boy wouldn’t do it himself). 

“Molly will be right there and I’ll be listening. You will be absolutely fine, even if you don’t feel like you will be.” Eskel soothed. 

“But what if it’s not?” 

“We will still have pie!” Eskel forced as much cheerfulness into his voice as he could muster. 

“I won’t let anything happen,” Molly added. 

“If Eskel couldn’t stop a big, mean man from putting a knife to my throat and hurting him, I don’t think you could, either.” 

Molly flinched. 

Jaskier!” Eskel scolded gently but with enough firmness to make Jaskier look abashed. “Molly has been very kind to us. Be kind back to her. She deserves it and more.” 

“Sorry, Molly,” The boy sighed, but he meant it. 

“It’s alright, Jaskier. You’re afraid and fear makes us say and do things we otherwise wouldn’t. But I will be right there. There is no danger.” 

Eskel finished buttoning Jaskier’s shirt and wrapped him in a warm hug. Jaskier visibly relaxed against him and Eskel let out a heavy sigh. Molly patted his shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile. 

“Jaskier, you understand why we’re doing this, right?” Jaskier hesitated and then nodded at Eskel. “Good, because we can’t go back to being attached at the hip like we were when I first took you. I don’t like bringing you on hunts, because there are too many things that could go wrong.” He was reminding himself more than Jaskier, it seemed. 

Jaskier nodded anyway and watched Eskel stand up and look out the window. “You’re scared, too, right, Eskel?” 

Eskel nodded. “Yeah. This is going to be hard for me, too, but if you can climb out a second story window and jump into a tree from there, then I can sit here and wait for you to come back from the market.” 

When Jaskier had told him how he got away, Eskel had been horrified by all the things that could have gone wrong, all the ways the boy could have died. And it wouldn’t have just been dying. No, it would have been agonizingly painful deaths: being impaled by a tree branch, breaking a bunch of bones, or bashing his skull in on a rock on the ground. 

“I’m very brave,” Jaskier said with a shaky voice. “Okay. I’m ready,” he wasn’t, but he was never going to be and Eskel was going to make him anyway. 

“Don’t get lost,” Eskel joked, but he didn’t sound very amused by his own joke. “See you soon.” 

Jaskier stepped into the hallway and Molly followed him, closing the door behind them. Jaskier wanted to run (his heart was already running and really wanted the rest of him to keep up), but he didn’t. He walked confidently down the stairs with as much false bravado as he could muster. He heard Molly stifle a laugh behind him. Having her come along was helping him feel less scared. 

They left the tavern and made their way to the muddy market area. Everything looked like it had the day before, except the sun was a little higher in the sky and it was a little warmer this time. Jaskier walked over to the vendor he had bought the fruits and nuts from and the man gave him two hefty little pouches full of each. Jaskier panicked because there was no way he had enough gold for all of that! 

“I- Uh. That’s too much- I don’t have enough-” 

The vendor pushed them into his hands anyway and refused to take the money from him. “Your witcher has done our village a great service. I know we weren’t able to pay all that much for killing the striga, but I can provide goods to make up for the difference, I believe. Have a good day, lad, and tell the witcher I give him thanks again for his service.” 

“I will.” Jaskier replied automatically. “Thank you, sir.” 

He went to the soap maker next, feeling a bit out of sorts. He picked out the bar of soap he wanted and paid for it, but the vendor gave him half the money back. The explanation she gave was more or less the same. Jaskier thanked her and turned to go back to the tavern. 

When they reached the top of the stairs, Jaskier could hear someone in their room talking to Eskel. Molly placed a hand on his shoulder and motioned back downstairs. It helped alleviate his anxiety a bit. 

“The alderman wanted to talk to him for a little while,” Molly explained. “I’m not sure how much longer he will be, though. Do you want to sit in the tavern with me for a little while?” 

“Can’t I just go inside? Or wait out here?” 

“I don’t think Eskel will want you listening to what they’re talking about.” 

“What are they talking about?” Jaskier gave her a suspicious look. 

She hesitated. “Lord Jedynak.” She answered after a moment. “And his men. About what happened. And why it happened.” 

“He won’t hurt Eskel?” Jaskier needed the reassurance, but she was right; he didn’t want to hear about that awful man. 

“He will not.” Molly promised. “Besides, the alderman is really old and not very strong anymore. He couldn’t hurt Eskel if he wanted to.” 

Jaskier didn’t want to leave but a moment later, the door opened, saving him from having to make the choice. The alderman stepped out, leaning on his cane. Jaskier gave him a nod of acknowledgement and then hurried into the room. Eskel was sitting on the bed, looking at a small cloth pouch in his hands, lost in thought. 

“Eskel?” Jaskier greeted him. 

Eskel looked up and gave him a small, tired smile. “Hey. I told you you could do it.” Jaskier told Eskel what happened at the market but he didn’t look surprised. “The alderman is going to give us some other supplies for the road, too.” Eskel didn’t explain why and Jaskier didn’t think he wanted to know, because it probably involved the nobleman that hurt them. 

“The alderman invited us to stay a few more days, free of charge,” Eskel said. “But I think it’s probably best that we go ahead and move on. I don’t feel right accepting that much generosity. They’re being too kind as it is. I don’t want to burden them any further. We’re leaving after lunch, so go ahead and get packed up, okay?” 

Jaskier nodded and did as he was asked. Eskel began packing, as well. He made sure to make the bed and tidy up the furniture in the room. It would make things easier for Molly later, he hoped. 

Truth be told, Eskel wasn’t sure how to react to the overwhelming show of compassion and empathy the little village gave him. It made the hair on the back of his neck stick up and gave him goosebumps. It wasn’t an act, though, and that’s what made him so uneasy. He also didn’t like feeling like they pitied him for their ordeal. Eskel was fine now and Jaskier’s cut would heal just fine with proper care. They had no further business in the village and he was eager to put this place behind them, even though the villagers were so kind. He didn’t want to be reminded of what happened everyday with the knowing looks, either. It was best that they move on. 

After lunch, Eskel hoisted Jaskier up on Scorpion’s back. He checked to make sure all their bags and supplies were secure and then climbed up behind Jaskier. Molly waved at them from the inn as Scorpion steadily cantered out of the village. 

“Where are we going next?” Jaskier asked, looking up at Eskel. 

“I don’t have a destination in mind.” Eskel shrugged. “I guess we’ll follow this road and keep going until someone needs a witcher.” 

Jaskier nodded. They rode in silence for a few minutes. Eskel grinned as he watched Jaskier’s energy beginning to build up. When he couldn’t take it anymore, Jaskier started talking about everything he saw from the blue and purple butterfly that just passed them to the birds in the trees. Eskel encouraged him, prompting the child with questions and comments of his own. 

“Will we ever go back there again?” Jaskier asked. 

“Back to the village?” Eskel asked slowly. 

“Yeah. I like Molly and everyone was really nice. Don’t you think so?” 

“They’re very kind, all of them. Hard to imagine the local lord was such a dick when compared to them.” 

“So, will we ever go back?” 

“I’m sure we’ll make our way through there again someday. But I hope they won’t need my services. They’ve had enough monsters for a lifetime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We will be continuing their story in a new fic very soon! I hope you have enjoyed and thank you for reading it! <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a bonus chapter that I meant to post a while ago. Some of you were interested in Jaskier's POV when he's taken by the doppler, so here it is!   
> Hope you enjoy!

Jaskier was carrying his purchases around as he perused the wares in the little market. He wanted to find something for Eskel. The nice innkeeper gave them some apples, but Jaskier wanted to get something cooler than that for him. Eskel was always so good to him and took care of him and never made Jaskier feel like an inconvenience. Even if Eskel got mad or annoyed, he was patient and kind. 

Jaskier looked over the blacksmith’s wares. Maybe Eskel could use a new whetstone for his swords? The blacksmith made a face at someone approaching them and Jaskier turned to look out of habit. Oh. It was Eskel. 

What? It was Eskel? 

Jaskier started to ask Eskel about his bath, but the witcher grabbed him by the hand and pulled him along. “Eskel?” 

“We have to go. Now.” 

Jaskier looked around in a panic. Had someone from Lettenhove seen them? Were his father’s men coming to get him and hurt Eskel? He followed along as Eskel tugged him. If he didn’t, the man would wind up dragging him, which was odd in and of itself. 

“Where are we going?” Eskel ignored him. “Eskel, you’re scaring me.” 

“Keep up.” 

Jaskier nodded and walked faster. Soon, they were walking in the woods on a forest path. Something was wrong with Eskel. Something was just off and Jaskier was afraid to find out what it was. Eskel was being awfully brusque with him and that was unusual. Had he made Eskel angry? 

“Am I in trouble?” 

“What?” 

Jaskier frowned. “Am I in trouble? You seem… angry or… Or something.” 

“I’m not angry, but we need to keep moving.” 

“But what about Scorpion and Dandelion?” 

“What about them?” Eskel asked dismissively. 

“We don’t have our packs.” Jaskier tried again. “If we’re leaving, shouldn’t we bring those with us? I… I really like Dandelion and I want to keep him. And why would we leave Scorpion behind?” 

“We will come back for all of that later.” 

Eskel was acting strangely. It was almost as if he were suddenly a new person altogether. Jaskier looked up at Eskel as they walked. He was spotlessly clean, but… When Jaskier left, Eskel had only just gotten into the bath and his hair had gross striga guts in it. Why wasn’t Eskel’s hair wet?   
Jaskier stopped, digging his feet into the ground when Eskel tried to keep pulling him along. Eskel turned and looked at him impatiently. Jaskier felt guilty, but also suspicious. 

“Eskel, why isn’t your hair wet?” 

Eskel frowned back at him. “That doesn’t matter right now-” 

“Yes, it does.” Jaskier countered, pulling his hand out of Eskel’s. “You just got in the bath when I went to the market. Your hair was gross and your hair isn’t wet right now.” 

Eskel sighed. “We thought it would be easier than this.” 

“We?” Jaskier parroted. “You’re… You’re not Eskel.” 

Before Jaskier had a chance to think or say anything else, Eskel hit him hard enough to make the world spin. It was definitely not Eskel. Jaskier dropped to the ground with a yelp. His lip was bleeding and his mouth hurt. He scrambled to get away, running into the woods. Not Eskel was right behind him. 

Eskel wouldn’t think to worry about Jaskier for a while, because he was taking his bath and Jaskier went to the market, so there was no way Eskel was going to be able to come save him now. Jaskier ran harder, ignoring the way tree branches smacked him in the face and chest. Jaskier had to make it back to the village on his own if he was going to get back at all. 

Not Eskel grabbed him by his hair and pulled him back. Jaskier yelped, grabbing the doppler’s wrist to try and get him to let go of his hair. He reached for the dagger on his hip, but Not Eskel grabbed his wrist and pulled it away from the blade. 

“Let me go! Eskel will kill you for pretending to be him, you, you bully!” 

“We aren’t afraid of the witcher. Just be a good boy and keep walking.” 

Not Eskel guided him into a clearing where a big, burly man was waiting. Jaskier started to beg for help when Not Eskel shoved him to the ground at the big man’s feet. Jaskier looked up at the man and then back at Not Eskel. 

“Hello, young man,” the stranger said, looming over him. 

“H-hello.” Jaskier stammered, pushing himself to his feet and taking a cautious step back. Something about the way the man was looking at him frightened him. 

The stranger grabbed Jaskier’s wrist and pulled him closer. In a panic, Jaskier ripped the dagger out of its sheath and tried to stab the man with it. The man was surprised, but still managed to catch Jaskier’s other wrist and squeezed it until the boy had no other choice but to drop it. 

“I-I’m sorry! Please let me go!” 

“I can see what kind of manners the witcher has been teaching you.” 

Jaskier glared at the man. “He teaches good manners!” 

“So, you’re just a brat, then?” Jaskier frowned at the man, who laughed at him. “We have places to be, my boy.” He looked up at Not Eskel. “Make sure the witcher knows where to go.” 

“We will, just as we agreed.” 

The stranger picked up Jaskier’s dagger and slid it into his belt. Jaskier started to fight against his grip and the man gave him a dark glare. Jaskier tugged harder until the man raised a hand in a clear promise that he would be struck if he didn’t stop. Jaskier flinched and stopped fighting, looking down at the ground. 

“What do you want?” Jaskier asked the man, who ignored him as he marched them through the forest. “Who are you?” The man continued to ignore him. “Why are you-” 

“Shut up. This will be the last time I tell you, do you understand?” 

Jaskier looked away, but didn’t say anything else. The forest gave way to a valley with a lot of steep hills in it. The stranger was tugging him up one to a big mansion. They passed men in armor patrolling the grounds. The men acknowledged the big man, but not Jaskier. 

The man pulled him into the mansion and then down steep, stone stairs. They walked down a long hallway, passing doors without pause. Finally, they stopped outside one door and the man unlocked it and walked in. 

It was the most terrifying room that Jaskier had ever seen in his life. There were all sorts of weapons and chains and rope. There was a jail cell or something and there were manacles built into the floor. Was that for him? Was all of that for him? Jaskier whined, staring at the nightmare that was the torture room. 

“Shhh, relax. I’m not going to hurt you.” 

Jaskier didn’t believe him. 

“Sit down next to the fire and wait.” He paused, releasing the child’s arm. 

Jaskier ran, but the stranger was faster. He grabbed Jaskier by the shoulder, turned him around forcefully, picked him up, and slammed his back into the stone wall. 

“I said to sit down.” The man snarled. “Do you understand me or do I need to tie you up?” 

Jaskier shook his head. “I understand. Please don’t tie me up. I won’t run.”

“Good, now sit.” He put Jaskier on the ground and then shoved him toward the fireplace. 

Obediently, Jaskier sat down in front of the fire and waited. His head hurt and his back hurt and he was so scared! Jaskier started to cry. They wanted Eskel to come find him, so they had to be planning on hurting Eskel. He wanted to be brave, but he couldn’t. Eskel would be hurt and it would be all his fault!


End file.
